Protect Family Farms Wins in Oregon!

66% of Jackson County Oregon citizens voted yes on Measure 15-119 to ban genetically engineered crops in Jackson County Oregon. According to findings established by a super-marjority of Citizins' Initiative Review panel the ordinance, "protects family farmers from serious risk that their crops will be contaminated by genetically engineered crop pollen that is patented and controlled by large out-of-state chemical corporations." The Initiative Review panel also went on to explain that, "The Family Farm Measure 15-119 was proposed after family farmers were being forced to destroy seed crops after learning that a mulitnational chemical company had planted genetically engineered sugar beets near their fields. There is no practical way to stop gentically engineered pollen and seed from trapssing onto traditional farms since there's no way to stop wind and other sources of pollen transport."

The Southern Oregon Seed Growers Association (SOSGA) representing independent seed farmers in Southern Oregon released a statement with important factual information on the impact to farmers of genetically engineered crops. "Genetically engineered crops present a serious threat to Southern Oregon seed farmers because pollen and seed from genetically engineered crops easily spread by wind and other forces and contaminate seed crops that are not gentically engineered. This makes the contaminated seed crop unsellable since that seed becomes a patented product that the farmer cannot legally sell. Additionaly, may of Oregon's largest seed buyers simply will not buy farmers' seed it it has been contaminated with gentically engineered pollen."

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